Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe says slump is unrelated to fatigue or batting third

WASHINGTON — Long after many of his teammates had already eaten, showered and left the ballpark, Logan O’Hoppe was still grinding in the batting cage.

The Angels catcher had gone hitless in five at-bats in a loss Friday, another game in his weeklong slump, and he’d had enough.

“Not doing anything hasn’t gotten me anywhere,” O’Hoppe said before Saturday’s game. “We’ll see how it goes, but I feel better than yesterday.”

O’Hoppe is having one of the better offensive seasons among big-league catchers, but his numbers have declined during a 2-for-32 slump.

That skid has roughly coincided with manager Ron Washington putting O’Hoppe into the No. 3 spot in the batting order.

“I’m just seeing him try to do too much,” Washington said Saturday. “The one thing I told him when I put him in the third hole is don’t change what you’ve been doing. It looks like he’s trying to do damage. And a kid like him doesn’t have to try to do damage. Just got to get his bat head on the ball. And I’ve been telling him that. Just put your bat head on the ball. Damage will happen.

“But sometimes you can’t stop them from getting inside of themselves and you have to go through it. And right now he’s going through it. And I’m not gonna remove him from the third hole, so he’s gonna have to learn or he won’t get to hit in the third hole in the future.”

O’Hoppe insisted that the spot in the order has nothing to do with his slump.

“You get hits and everyone says you’re fine,” O’Hoppe said. “If you don’t and it’s tied with moving up in the order, everyone’s gonna say that you’re trying to do too much. That’s not it at all. It’s just a tough stretch. It would be the same if I was hitting fifth or ninth.”

The other obvious conclusion to draw from O’Hoppe’s slump is that he’s getting fatigued. O’Hoppe has caught more innings than any other catcher in the majors.

O’Hoppe, who earlier this season said that his goal is to one day catch 150 games, also firmly said that fatigue is not an issue.

“My body feels fine,” he said. “Over the course of 162 games, things are going to go up and down.”

Still, considering the workload he’s faced behind the plate, staying late for extra swings after he’d caught 10 innings on a humid August night was a choice that raised eyebrows.

“I would never have done it,” Washington said. “There’s a few veteran guys around here that wouldn’t have done it. But that’s how much he cares. He has to learn how to temper how much he cares. If he felt that’s what he needed, I’ve got no problem with it.

“But I tell you what, in the future he’s going to learn he doesn’t need to do that. If he came to me and asked me – and I had the right to say yes or no – could I go hit in the cage, I’d have told him to take a shower and go home.”

Washington said O’Hoppe will get the day off Sunday.

NOTES

The Angels placed right-hander José Marte on the injured list with a viral infection. They recalled right-hander Jack Kochanowicz to take Marte’s roster spot. …

The presence of Kochanowicz allowed the Angels to change their pitching plan for Sunday. They were going to go with right-hander Davis Daniel, who would have been pitching on three days’ rest. Now, they are officially undecided, but they have the option of using a fresh Kochanowicz on Sunday if he’s not needed Saturday night. …

First baseman Nolan Schanuel got the day off Saturday because Washington said he looked fatigued. …

The Angels will be facing a left-handed pitcher for the fourth straight game Sunday, which has contributed to Washington’s lineup difficulties. Washington is generally reluctant to start catcher Matt Thaiss, outfielder Mickey Moniak or DH Willie Calhoun against lefties. He’s also tried to avoid using 35-year-old right-handed hitter Kevin Pillar too much. “It’s good if I can get (Pillar) some at-bats, but I don’t want to overload him,” Washington said. “I have had to overload him. This is the trip from hell.” …

The Angels on Saturday were able to take batting practice on the field for the first time on this trip. The weather limited them to hitting in the cage on the previous days. They probably won’t hit on the field before Sunday’s game either, because it’s an early start for a Roku broadcast. …

The Angels haven’t disclosed the exact nature of the elbow surgery that right-hander Andrew Wantz underwent, but general manager Perry Minasian said Saturday that Wantz still could be ready for spring training.

UP NEXT

Angels (TBD) at Nationals (LHP MacKenzie Gore, 7-9, 4.66) at Nationals Park, 8:30 a.m. PT Sunday, Roku, 830 AM.